Sick of your companies IT setup? You're not alone...
Times change and so does technology. These days there’s a strong requirement from the UK workforce to be able to work more flexibly. Mercifully, there are now fantastic solutions like Desktop 365 that allow workers to do just that. However, at the same time there’s a real reticence from many companies to move away from their old device-led IT model and to adopt a server-led approach such as Desktop 365 provides. This is causing both problems and disillusionment for workforces. Lets look at a few commonplace examples that you may be able to sympathise with:
1. Being chained to the office
With device-led IT desktops, files and applications are mostly stored and delivered from an allocated device. There may even be some applications that are only accessible from the work network (such as accounting software). This leads to employees feeling like they must attend the office to perform their roles. For example, if they don’t have a portable work-issued device then they won’t be able to work effectively from home, it’s either too messy or even impossible to access everything they need from a personal device. Even if they do have a portable work-issued device they’ll often find they can’t connect to the network and systems that they need to.
This all leads to a poor work-life balance where employees feel the need to put attending the office ahead of life events and appointments, often taking time off to cover these events as it just works out easier in the long run. They’ll frequently even drag themselves to work loaded with cold. Sure they can probably still work, after all it’s just a runny nose, but is work the best place for them when thinking of their physical health and that of the colleagues they could be infecting? With a server-led approach working from the comfort of your home is not only easily achievable but it can prove more productive. It really can help to break the cycle of presenteeism.
2. Unproductive remote working
Without access to all the systems and files that they need, users trapped in a device-led IT model can feel incredibly unproductive when the need arises to work remotely. Often they’ll need to re-prioritise their work based on what they’re able to do remotely rather than what they actually need to do first. They’ll likely need to leave gaps in their work that they’ll have to fill in later, once back at the office. They may even become burdensome to colleagues, continually asking them to email over files that they cannot access or relay information that they cannot view.
This can make working away from the office a massively frustrating experience. There’s often the feeling of pressure to catch up with work that couldn’t be done remotely, leading to longer working weeks and increasing disillusionment.
3. That syncing feeling
With files often stored on local devices and office-restricted networks with a device-led IT model, it’s a common issue that files can become out of sync. Moving from a remote environment back into the office environment can be a bit of a lottery and often requires a manual sync in order to ensure files are available to others that might need them. Additionally, collaboration becomes that much harder as files are often accessed from local devices then shared via email, creating a significant versioning issue.
Similarly, with the device-led IT model often remote access to systems is clunky, leading to data-sync errors when multiple people are logged-in and saving work at the same time.
4. Server-led envy
The device-led IT model doesn’t lend itself well to flexible working practices. There are increasing numbers of companies adopting the server-led approach, leading to considerable jealousy for workers with employers whose IT is not quite as progressive. Being able to work flexible hours and being able to work from home or remotely has become a strong requirement for UK workers who tend to lead increasingly busy personal lives. As a result, many workers have begun to question whether they should look elsewhere for greater flexibility in their work and a more favourable work-life balance.
It needn't be like this
Employee disillusionment with IT is no laughing matter. It leads to low productivity, frustration and the desire to find a job where the grass is greener. Retaining top talent should be a priority for any ambitious company as a high-turnover of staff can negatively impact financial turnover.
If you believe your staff are suffering because of your IT setup, maybe it’s time to flip things on their head. Server-led IT can provide tangible benefits to any company, re-energising flagging workforces and boosting profitability. Click below to find out how the Desktop 365 approach could be the solution you’ve been searching for.
